Analyzing Industries and Companies: Researching a Company
Things You Need to Know
- Name of the company
- The ticker symbol - you can get this by searching the company in Google Finance or Yahoo! Finance
- The NAICS - The NAICS code is a standard number for searching for information about a specific industry. You can get this by browsing the NAICS Association site.
Step 1. Identify the company you want to research.
Example, Google.
Step 2. If a public company, use Google Finance or Yahoo! Finance to find the ticker symbol.
The ticker symbol (or stock symbol) is an abbreviation used to uniquely identify publicly traded shares of a particular stock on a particular stock market. It may consist of letters, numbers or a combination of both. Both Google Finance and Yahoo! Finance have a lot of information on companies. This can be a great place to get a snapshot of the company you are researching.
Example, GOOGL is the ticker symbol for Google.
Step 3. Search Business Source Complete and/or Nexis Uni for articles, SWOT analyses, etc. on your company. For news articles on local companies, search Regional Business News and/or the Times-Picayune.
- Business Source CompleteIncludes searchable cited references, author profiles for the most-cited authors in the database, and over 10,000 full text sources including academic journals, industry profiles, trade publications, etc. Available via EBSCOhost.
- Nexis Uni - NPIncludes articles, company information, SEC reports, accounting literature, and directories.
- Regional Business NewsThis database provides comprehensive full text coverage for regional business publications. Regional Business News incorporates coverage of 75 business journals, newspapers and newswires from all metropolitan and rural areas within the United States. This database is updated on a daily basis.
- Times-Picayune (1989-2019) - text onlyFull text content of the New Orleans, LA Times-Picayune newspaper.
This is the text only view of the newspaper. Content no longer added after June 30, 2019. Please go to Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate page images (2017-present for current content..
Step 4. Use your ticker symbol or company name to search for your company in Mergent Online or Standard & Poor's Netdadvantage to find out detailed financial information about the company and its industry.
Step 5. Use your NAICS code to search Industry Statistics Portal.
Industry Statistics Portal is a database that shows you where you can find information on different industries from the U.S. Census Bureau. This site directs you to all sorts of free government data, such as Statistics of U.S. Businesses, Business Expenses, and County Business Patterns. You can search by NAICS to find the sources that have information on your industry, or you can browse the NAICS options on the left side of the screen.
Example, to browse sources that might have info on Google’s industry, I can use the NAICS code 518111. I can click on 51—Information, then 518-Data processing, hosting, and related services. That’s where my number ends, telling me that this site can only find resources that get as specific as 518-Data processing, hosting, and related services.
Step 6. Search for local businesses by keyword or NAICS code with ReferenceUSA.
Unlike public companies, private companies do not have to share any data. However, some do share some information. ReferenceUSA is a good place to find that data. Search by company name, address, or NAICS code.
Other Resources to Explore
- The Data Center (New Orleans and surrounding areas)This independent site gathers data from multiple sources. Its mission is to "build prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable communities by making informed decisions possible."
- Hospitality and Tourism Index This link opens in a new windowThis index combines the records of three collections: Cornell University's former Hospitality database; Articles in Hospitality and Tourism; and the Lodging, Restaurant & Tourism Index.
- EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval)Open access database from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). All companies, foreign and domestic, are required to file registration statements, periodic reports, and other forms electronically through EDGAR. Anyone can access and download this information for free.